inspection
PAT testing and appliance testing
Appliance testing costs £1 to £3 an item against a minimum charge of around £60, and fifty items take an afternoon. No law anywhere in the UK says an appliance must be tested. The law says it must be safe, and testing is how most employers show that they checked.
What this covers
What it costs. Testing is £1 to £3 an item and the rate falls as the count rises. Full cost breakdown.
What the job covers
- Testing appliances across an office or a shop
- Labelling and asset registers by item
- Testing site tools and 110 volt equipment
- Landlord appliance testing in furnished lets
- Failed item reports with repair or removal advice
What is involved
Each item gets a visual inspection and then, where the type allows, instrument tests. The visual catches most real faults: a cracked plug top, a cable pulled out of its gland, a damaged lead, a loose cord grip, the wrong fuse. The instrument tests are earth continuity on a Class I item, which has an earthed metal case, and insulation resistance on both classes. A Class II item carries the double square symbol, has no earth, and is tested differently.
Frequency is risk based and it is not fixed by anybody. A drill on a building site and a desk lamp in an office have nothing in common except that they both plug in. Guidance from the Health and Safety Executive puts handheld equipment in harsh conditions on a short cycle and stationary office equipment on a long one, sometimes years apart, and it makes the point that a formal visual inspection by a trained person catches most defects without any instrument at all. Annual testing of everything is a habit rather than a requirement.
Who actually needs it is narrower than the market implies. Employers have a duty to maintain equipment so it does not cause danger, and testing is the usual evidence. Scotland requires appliance testing in a private let, and is alone in the UK in doing so. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland a landlord has to supply safe appliances and has no duty to test them on a schedule, which is worth knowing before buying an annual contract.
Choosing someone for the job
Ask what the minimum charge is and how many items it covers, because on a small job that number is the price. Ask whether an asset register is produced and whether it is issued as a file you keep. Ask what happens to a failed item: labelled and left, repaired on site, or taken away. Ask whether computers and servers can be tested without being shut down mid morning.
Common questions
Is appliance testing a legal requirement?
Not as a test. The duty is to maintain electrical equipment so it does not cause danger, and testing is the most common way of evidencing that. The exception is a private let in Scotland, where the appliance check is written into the tenancy requirements.
How often should equipment be tested?
It depends on the equipment and where it lives. Handheld tools in a workshop or on site are on a short cycle. Fixed office equipment can go years between tests with formal visual inspections in between. A blanket annual interval costs more than it prevents.